As of July 20, Russia will consider all maritime vessels en route to Ukrainian Black Sea ports as potentially carrying military cargoes, the Russian Defense Ministry has said. The announcement comes two days after Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which had allowed Ukraine to export grain—despite ongoing hostilities—through the Black Sea. “Given…

In just a few years, China went from owning just a handful of seaports around the world to being one of the globe’s biggest port owners. It now controls some 100 ports in over 60 countries, on virtually every continent. Why is the Asian nation buying up the ocean-front property on such a scale? And…